Always Been and Always Will Be
by ILoveNeil
Summary: James is the first oceanic passenger Desmond decides to visit. Will he convince the southerner to fulfill his destiny with Juliet?
1. Chapter 1

**_It was an impossibility for me not to write something after the last episode. I absolutely loved it and thought every second was amazingly wonderful. Anyway, this is about James and Juliet. Hope you like it, and please review! :)_**

"Excuse me." Desmond asked, tapping his fingers on the tabletop to attract the desk sergeant's attention, "Excuse me, is there uh--" He looked down at the paper held tightly in his hand, "Is there a man by the name of James Ford here?"

The man seated behind the desk peered over his glasses and let out a heavy sigh, clearly agitated at the visitor, and opened his mouth to speak. However, a tall and rather intimidating woman suddenly appeared and intervened.

"You lookin' for Ford?" She asked, quirking one eyebrow up in the process and he swiftly nodded. After receiving the manifest and doing a bit of research on the passengers, James Ford had naturally been the first to visit. He remotely lived near the area and searching him down had been far less than a challenge.

"May I speak with him?" He asked after a pregnant pause, then added swiftly, "It's important."

"_How _important?" The woman, whose nametag read Ana, asked.

"Life altering."

"Is that so?" She deadpanned, "You his bookie or something?"

Desmond cleared his throat, scratching at the nape of his neck, "I'm afraid I've never yet had the pleasure of meeting him."

"Let me get this straight." She began slowly, "You actually want me to interrupt Ford's work so he can chat with some stranger he'll want nothin' to do with? You have any idea how bad that'll piss him off?" She asked before breaking into a sly smile at the thought, "You know what? Follow me."

Desmond gratefully did as he was told, and not before long, he was shaking hands with a rather puzzled officer.

"Nice to meet you, brother. My name is Desmond Hume." He began, "You're probably wondering why I'm here."

He nodded once, "What can I do ya' fer?"

Desmond opened his mouth, only to realize he hadn't a bloody clue what to say. He racked his brain for the most logical strategy, and without realizing it, found himself almost mimicking Charlie's words, "Have you ever been in love--spectacular, consciousness-altering love?"

"Ya know, Cupid, can't say that I have." The southerner replied gruffly, "Now what the hell's this 'bout? Miles put ya' up to this? 'Cause I ain't got the time o' patience fer it."

He shook his head, "No, brother--this isn't a joke." He paused, deciding to lay all his cards on the table, "A few days ago, I saw a...a flash--of something--of another life. Of a _girl_."

James leaned forward, suddenly interested, and eyed Desmond carefully, "Whadda ya' mean, a flash?"

"I found myself in a car accident a few days ago and somehow, I...Well I saw a girl--Penny." He beamed as her name left his lips, "And I felt this...connection. It was love, but--but it went _beyond _that. And it wasn't only me, brother, I happen to know of two other fellows that had the same thing happen to them."

"Even if you...felt _it_." James motioned around him, "Whatever the hell _it _was--ever think she ain't even real?"

"Aye, it's real." Des assured him, "I met her."

"You did?" He asked, hope sparkling in his eyes, "So it ain't just a dream or nothin'..."

"Its happened to you, then?" Desmond prodded, not failing to notice the hint of a smile on James' face.

He reluctantly nodded and breathed out a breath of air before explaining, "Other day. Saw a gal on the news--was givin' some speech atta' new openin' of some fancy hospital. Got to cut the ribbon an' everythin'."

"Go on." Desmond prodded, for James clearly wanted to say more, "Tell me about her."

"Tall, blonde, gotta hell of a smile, an' her body--" He whistled, "She's a knockout. Read 'bout her in the paper too--said her name's Juliet Carlson."

"Well, brother, seems like quite the catch." He smiled, "Now it's time to go out there and get her."

"Don't know if that's sucha good idea, matchmaker."

"If you love her, if you felt _it_, then you've got to search for her--you'll never be happy unless you do." He stated before catching a glimpse at the clock, "I better get a move on. Have a dinner date with Pen soon."

James simply nodded and exchanged goodbyes with the man, but not before asking curiously, "Why'd ya' come down here in the first place? Don't make much sense."

"Does anything?" He asked with a laugh before answering in all seriousness, "If I can help anyone be as unbelievably happy as I am with Penny...well, brother, then it's well worth it."

--

"Congratulations again, Juliet. You deserve this." Her comrade said genuinely, placing his hand on her shoulder as they both stood in front of her new institution.

"Thanks Ethan." She smiled politely, "I just wish Rachel was here to see this."

He gave a sad smile, "You know it's more trouble than it's worth for her to fly here from Miami, you even said it yourself."

"I know." She admitted softly, "It's just--"

"Lonely at the top?" Another voice interrupted from behind her, "I know what that's like."

She habitually looked over her shoulder, gingerly flipping her hair behind her, and smiled, "You do, huh? That's surprising considering you're nowhere _near _the top."

The man let out a laugh, "Good to see the fame hasn't affected your sense of humor."

"Fame? I'm hardly a celebrity, Jack." She argued, oblivious to the fact Ethan had walked away and she was left solely with Dr. Shepherd, "They showed a glimpse of me on one occasion while having a slow news day."

"Don't be so modest." Jack protested, and she smiled in response. They stood, staring at one another for a moment, until Jack broke the silence by stating, "I got run over by a cart today."

"What?" She asked, breaking into a smile, and Jack explained slowly, "At work today--a cart knocked me over. Fell and hit my head pretty hard. I, uh, even blacked out."

"Are you alright?" She asked, stifling a laugh, "You must have quite the bruise."

"No, I'm fine. It's just...while I was out, I saw a vision of this woman. She was--she was on the plane with me the other day. She--"

"Well head injuries can cause hallucinations. You're a doctor, you know that." She stated casually, unaware of the serious tone Jack had taken.

He shook his head, "You don't understand. The feeling I had, it was--"  
"You blacked out, Jack." She argued, "Nothing more, nothing less. If you're so worried then maybe you should take some x-rays."

"Put aside the medical talk for a second. Is it possible to feel..." He searched for the perfect word to describe what he was referring to and came up blank, so instead asked, "Do you believe it's possible to care about someone--more than you even care about yourself...and you don't even know their name?"

"I don't see where you're going with this." She stated, disregarding the question, "You're not acting like yourself, Jack. Now I'm going to get a cup of coffee, I'd ask you to join but maybe you should get some rest."

--

"Hell, what're the chances a' that?" James mumbled as he stared at the computer screen full of Juliet's information in front of him.

"You _that _lonely, Ford?" His partner asked as he walked by, "What, no one wants to talk to you so you resort to talking to yourself?"

James glared up at him,"Ain't there somebody else ya' can annoy the hell outta?"

He shrugged, "Of course. But what fun would that be?" He paused momentarily before asking, "S'what are you up to, anyway?"

"None of your goddamn business."

Miles raised his eyebrows, "Thought we said no more secrets."

James rolled his eyes, but knew the man was right, "Just looked this girl up, found out she lives right down the street. Can't believe she's been so close the whole time an' I never even known it."

"Ah, the joy of stalking."

"I ain't stalkin' her." He shot back, "It's called research."

"It's called a matter of time before she gets a restraining order." Miles quipped as he glanced over his partners shoulder and at the computer screen, "Who is this chick anyways?"

"Don't matter." He explained, "T'was thinkin' 'bout goin' to meet her but changed my mind."

"Why?"

"Don't matter how badly I wanna meet her, it don't mean she wants to meet me." He stated bluntly, "Now let's get back'ta work. Haven't done much of it today."

--

Juliet strolled out of her favorite cafe, coffee cup in hand, when she heard a familiar voice ring out, "Well look who it is. If it isn't my favorite medical star."

Without having to turn around, she already knew the owner of the voice, "What the hell do you want, Ed?"

"What a way to greet your ex-husband." He retorted, "And all I wanted was to give my congratulations on the new hospital. You're certainly climbing up the ladder of success, aren't you Julie?"

"No thanks to you." She reminded him, "Now if you don't mind, I think I'll be on my way."

"Wait." He called after her in desperation, "Just give me a few more minutes."

She narrowed her eyes, but eventually nodded reluctantly, and followed him over to the side of a nearby building so that they could speak in privacy.

She stared daggers at him, waiting for him to speak first, and he eventually began, "You look beautiful today. Really, it's remarkable how--."

"I know what you're trying to do." She cut him off, "I told you last week you're fired. Things aren't going to change simply because you've mastered the art of flattery."

"So there's nothing I could _possibly _do that would make you allow me back at the research center?"

She didn't even blink, "No."

"Fine, then." He shrugged cooly, reaching inside his coat pocket, "Guess we'll have to do this the hard way."

"E--Edmund?" She whispered, taking a step back, "What the hell is that?"

"What, Julie? Don't tell me you've never seen a gun before." He smiled slyly, putting his hand on the trigger and pointing it directly at his former wife's chest.

"How poetic would it be? Not only would I have broken your heart metaphorically, but literally as well...You were always a sucker for irony." He droned on cynically, "Now, do we have an understanding? Am I safe to say I have my job back?"

She swallowed hard and shook her head before saying slowly, "You don't have the guts."

"All I want is to go back to work." He stated, "But if you can't do that for me--I _will _kill you, Julie."

--

"You're not still thinking about that chick, are you?" Miles asked as he and James walked out of the police station and over to their patrol car.

He shook his head as he reached into his pocket for the keys, "'Course I ain't."

Miles whistled, "Boy it's a shame."

"What's that?"

"You _used _to be able to lie."

Suddenly, a voice cried out, "Don't do this. Don't. Get the hell away from me."

"You hear that, Ford?" Miles whispered in alert, straining his ears to hear the distressed voice.

James nodded and shifted his eyes towards the side of a nearby building, "Think it's comin' from over there in the--"

Suddenly, he heard a single gunshot sing out and immediately went into cop-mode. He rounded the nearest corner, gun in hand, looking around for wherever the shot had sounded from and it didn't take long for him to find the location.

As he approached with Miles in toe, he watched as a woman stumbled backwards in pain, falling to the ground while blood stained the top of her shoulder. James naturally rushed over to her, while Miles ran over to the man handling the gun and forced him to the ground without much struggle.

"Smart thinking using a gun in the middle of a day right next to a police station." Miles commented as he snapped the handcuffs on the criminal, "Man, you must've really hated that chick to do something this damn stupid."

Simultaneously, James squatted next to the woman and put his hand on her knee, "You okay there, Blondie?

She weakly lifted her head up, pieces of hair falling around her face, and as her bright blue eyes met his, he nearly fainted.

_It was unmistakable. It was _her_._

"Son of a bitch..."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thanks so much to everyone for the lovely reviews. I simply adore hearing from you. And I don't know much about police or medical affairs, so if anything in this chapter is inaccurate, I apologize. :)**_

"Don't ya' worry. Yer gonna be just fine, sweetheart." James cooed into the woman's ear as he gingerly helped her up to her feet.

He noticed her eyes shift over towards the man Miles was grappling with and observed, "That jackass'll be locked up fer a long time...Now let's get ya ta' a doctor an' fix up that shoulder a yers."

He felt her nod slightly as she limply laid against his chest and before he knew it, her eyelids fell shut. He swooped her up into his arms, careful not to further injure her already wounded shoulder, and raced to the nearest hospital.

"My God, is that Juliet?" He heard one of the nurses shriek in shock as he busted through the hospital doors. A flood of doctors and medical employees swiftly surrounded him and grabbed Juliet from his arms, hurriedly carrying her off into the emergency room. Guess those were the perks you get for owning the place, he assumed.

"Someone page Doctor Shephard. He'll want to know about this." He heard another employee state hectically and immediately felt a twinge of unexplainable jealousy.

"I'mma go in there with her." He then commented to one of the nurses, "Make sure she's alright."

"Sorry sir. It's strictly prohibited for--"

"Look, I ain't askin' fer permission." He shot back, just as he heard Miles voice crackle over his walkie.

"Ford, you there?"

He rolled his eyes, "Yeah, yeah, I'm here."

"Soon as you get the chick to the hospital, head back down to the station, alright? The boss wants you back here."

He sighed heavily and rolled his eyes once more, "Fine."

--

"Hey, Ford." Miles greeted as he noticed the southerner enter the room, "It's about time you--"

"_Where is he_?"

"Over in the cell. But I--" He replied, but trailed off once James brushed past him and stormed over to the criminal.

"Why the hell'd ya' shoot her, you sick _son of a bitch_?"

Edmund looked up at him with a complete lack of expression, "I already informed your partner I'm not speaking until my lawyer's present."

"What'd she ever do to you?" James questioned, ignoring the mans comment, "There ain't no way she deserved gettin' shot by a bastard like you."

"I believe I said I'm not speaking. It 'can and will be used against me in the court of law' if I recall correctly."

"Tell me why you did it." He growled out as he clutched the iron bars in front of him, pure enmity spilling out of his voice.

"Plenty would have done the same." Edmund decided to answer bluntly, before explaining, "She's worthless. It's not like anyone would have missed her."

"Don't ya never talk that way 'bout her, ya' got that?" James suddenly barked out, fire blazing in his eyes.

"Ford. Chill." Miles breathed out under his breath, unsure of why his partner was so invested in the case, "Let's go. Leave the guy alone."

"Fine." He grumbled before turning back to Edmund with narrowed eyes and stating coldly, "This ain't over."

"What the _hell _was that for?" Miles asked in pure confusion as he and James headed over to their desks.

"Whadda ya mean?"

"What do I mean?" He asked slowly, "I mean going all Christian Bale on the suspect."

James paused for a moment, then admitted, "The gal he shot--she's the girl from this mornin'. The one I was lookin' up."

"No way." He responded, "That's like, an insane coincidence. Guess you were meant to meet her after all, huh, man?"

"Guess so."

--

"That gown's a good look fer ya'." James commented as he strolled into Juliet's hospital room later that day, "Not many can pull that off."

"What?" She asked, wrinkling her face in confusion.

"Names James." He decided to say as he took a seat in a nearby chair, "Good to see ya' conscious."

She stared at him for a moment, a blank expression plastered on her face, before she broke into a weak smile, "Oh, I'm sorry. I couldn't place it at first--you're the cop--the one who saved me." Her smile widened, "Thank you."

He smiled back at her, "How ya' feelin'?"

"Like I just got shot in the shoulder by my ex-husband." She answered before breaking down into a frown. She swiftly brought both hands to her face to conceal any emotion and he took a step towards her in concern.

"Hey, hey, you okay?" He asked softly as he further approached her bedside.

She faltered for a moment before pulling slowly pulling her hands away to reveal a trail of tears trickling down her cheek.

"This is stupid. I--I don't...I don't normally cry." She laughed bitterly, "But then again, I don't normally get shot either."

He suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to reach out and grab her, tell her it was okay, tell her he loved her--_loved her_, where the hell'd that come from? He suddenly heard Desmonds words ring through his ears, _"Have you ever been in love--spectacular, consciousness-altering love?" _No was his answer at the time, but if there was any such thing, _this_--Juliet--was damn well it.

"Go on." She prodded after what must have been a few minutes, and when he raised his eyebrows, she cleared up, "You're here to question me. So go ahead."

"Right." He cleared his throat. Of course that's why he was there--not like he couldn't go another second without seeing her or anything, "Well then, why don't ya start from the beginnin'."

She nodded, now fully composed with no trace that she had recently been crying evident on her face, "I was getting a cup of coffee just down the street from here. When I came out, I saw Edmund--my ex husband and former employee--and he bargained for his job back. When I said no, out came the gun."

"So do ya' think he did it 'cause ya took 'way his job? Or 'cause ya' broke the man's heart?"

She let out a sour laugh, "He has no heart."

"Got no brains neither, hurtin' a knockout like yerself."

She smiled and opened her mouth to speak, however was interrupted by a man's voice from the doorway, "Juliet, I--wasn't aware you had a visitor."

James turned around to see a man clothed in scrubs and immediately got up to shake his hand, "Nice to meet ya' doc."

The man's eyes widened as they grasped hands and uttered, "What--what did you call me?"

"Doc--short fer doctor. Thought ya'd be able to figure that one out."

He paused for a moment, before asking, "What are you doing here, Sawyer?"

"Came to check up on Juliet. She--" James stopped short, "Wait a sec, what the hell'd ya' call me?"

"Sawyer." He repeated, "Isn't that your name?"

"No." He gritted his teeth, "It ain't."

"I uh, I just thought..." He trailed off, "Can I speak to you outside for a moment?"

James looked from the man to Juliet, then stated reluctantly, "Yeah, a 'course."

He stole one last glance at Juliet before following the doctor into the hospital hallway, and as soon as they were out of earshot, Jack asked, "Juliet's a good friend of mine. And the last thing I want is for her to get hurt." He paused, "What do you want from her?"

"Hold it, hoss, first thing's first." He replied snidely, "Where the hell'd ya' hear the name Sawyer from?"

Jack shook his head, "You wouldn't believe me."

"Well 'less ya' wanna end up in one a' these 'mergency rooms then ya better start talkin'."

He sighed, "I keep getting these, these flashes. It started happening the other day--certain things trigger it. I don't understand it, but...." He paused, "You think I'm crazy."

"Saw a flash of me and Juliet a few days ago." He admitted, "We were together."

"Really?" He asked, breathing out a sigh of relief, "Have you seen anything else?"

"Wait, ya' tellin' me you've seen these flashes more than once?"

"This morning I saw one of this girl--Kate." He explained, "I think I'm in love with her." He paused, "And it happened again when I shook your hand."

"Ya' tryin' to say yer in love with me?"

Jack let out a laugh, "No. But I did see you. We didn't--we didn't seem to be on the best terms."

"Well why didn't I see it, then? Ya' think maybe I don't _want _to 'member ya?"

Jack shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Well do ya' got any clue if Juliet--if she..."

"I spoke to her about it this morning." He shook his head, "If she felt if, she showed no signs of it."

--

After James' conversation with the doctor ceased, he quickly strolled back into the room to converse with Juliet. They talked for a while about various things, ranging from the shooting to more casual elements such as their favorite books and movies.

It wasn't until a few hours later when James realized, "I should get goin'. 'Less there's anythin' I can do fer ya?"

She thought for a moment, "Like I said earlier, I was shot right after buying a latte. Unfortunately, I never got a chance to drink it. So, if you're up for it, maybe we can get coffee some time." She said suggestively and when he looked at her in surprise, she added helpfully, "We could go dutch?"

"After all ya' been through today, ain't no way in hell I'm makin' ya pay." He responded, "It's on me." He paused for a moment before reaching out the item that was firmly held in his hand, "Oh, almost forgot. Got ya a get well gift."

"A sunflower? They're my favorite--" She began with a smile as she gently grabbed the item from his hands. However, she froze as a few specific images and voices flashed through her head almost as if she was watching a movie.

_"Is that for me?" She heard herself ask as she looked over towards the man standing in the doorway grasping a single sunflower._

_He took a few steps towards her, "You were amazing today."_

_"Thank you for believing in me." She breathed out before they pulled together to kiss, "I love you."_

_"I love you, too."_

She cleared her throat as soon as she forcibly snapped herself out of the daydream, "James. Do I--have we met before?"


	3. Chapter 3

_**Sorry for the long wait guys. I've been awfully busy lately but I hope you enjoy this nonetheless. Thanks so much for all the reviews, I simply adore hearing from you! :)**_

Automatically, James took a step forward and brought a hand to grasp her shoulder. She flinched at the contact but made no effort to move away.

"Jules?" The name escaped his lips as barely a whisper, "You remember?"

"I...I think--I saw..." She stuttered before shaking her head, "I don't know what I think." She paused, "Now if you'd be ever so kind as to remove your hand from my shoulder."

His face fell. If she fully remembered what transpired between them, there's no way she'd be able to hide it this well--she was strong, but not that strong.

So she didn't remember _everything_--but there had to be something, _anything_ she did remember.

"Not 'till ya tell me whatcha saw."

She rolled her eyes, internally debating whether or not to explain what couldn't be described as anything more than a hallucination, and eventually admitted, "We were in a kitchen and you handed me a sunflower. Then we kissed. All of which is impossible."

"You sure 'bout that, Blondie?"

"Blondie..." She echoed, a hint of recognition escaping from her voice. She paused to think over her next move, and eventually decided to disregard her gut feeling and stated, "I'd really appreciate it if you'd let me have my privacy."

"Jules--"

"I've already told you everything about the investigation you need to know so there's really no reason you should stay."

"You don't want me ta' leave." He argued, his voice soft.

She blinked once, "Yes. I do."

He was about to protest again when he realized that if he wanted a chance with Jules--in this lifetime--then he better not test her temper. He nodded once, "In that case, guess I'll hit the road."

He turned to leave, making sure to take a long look at her beforehand, memorizing her every feature and movement.

"Twelve thirty." She chirped up just as his hand reached the door handle, and he turned around in confusion.

"What?"

"Coffee--tomorrow at twelve thirty." She cleared up, "You better not stand me up, officer."

The next day, after rolling out of bed and taking a shower, James rummaged through his closet for something to wear. Blue? Black? Stripes? A tie maybe? This was going to be his first time seeing Jules without his uniform and he wanted to make a good impression. He knew from experience that chicks paid attention to outfits and appearances and all sorts of crap like that.

A few hours later, once he settled on jeans and a dark blue button up shirt and jeans, spritzed himself with some type of beach scented cologne, and grabbed his keys, he headed out of his apartment and down to the cafe.

Once he reached the glass doors and hinged them open, he stepped inside to see Juliet already seated at one of the wooden tables, watching the television hanging overhead.

"Hey, blondie. Whatcha watchin'?" He asked as he pulled out the chair across from her and glanced up at the screen, "Gilligan's Island, huh? Dontcha think that's a lil' unrealistic? I mean, buncha nutcases stranded on an island fer that damn long, an' nobody finds 'em? I don't buy it."

She looked him up and down before he sat, ignoring his comments, and observed, "You clean up well."

He smiled smugly, "Why thank ya' darlin'. You don't look half bad yerself."

"Considering you've only seen me covered in blood and in a hospital gown, and I can only hope I look one million times better."

"Don't you put yerself down, sweetheart." He smirked, "You looked pretty damn sexy in that hospital getup yesterday."

"Speaking of yesterday..." She began thoughtfully before taking a quick sip of her drink, "I apologize for the way I was acting. I was shaken up from the shooting and was on a lot of medication and--"

"It ain't the meds that were makin' ya act like that."

She quirked an eyebrow, "What are you talking about?"

"We both know we got a connection. Ain't no sence in denyin' it." He explained, "It's like we know each other from another life or somethin'."

"If your trying to impress me, then I'd lay off the whole 'other life' business. Unless of course, you want me to think your crazy--because in that case, keep up the good work."

_Guess I better drop it, no sence in makin' her think I belong in the looney bin_, He thought before rushing his hand through his hair and stating, "Sorry, sweetheart, guess I just start speakin' crazy talk when I'm 'round a beautiful lady like yerself."

She leaned forward and narrowed her eyes, "You think you're charming, don't you?"

He let his mouth form into a smirk, and nodded. She rolled her eyes before leaning back, "Well then, you're right."

A few hours went by and James soon realized that the evening went better than he could have ever imagined. Juliet and him got along quite naturally, she wasn't afraid to let loose around him and have fun, but at the same time didn't hesitate to call him on his bullshit. It didn't take him long to realize he loved pretty much every quality about her. Her only flaw was not seeing how incredibly flawless she was.

They soon walked side by side out of the cafe and towards her apartment, paying virtually no attention to the construction sight nearby. However, once they reached a strip of sidewalk scattered with stray chains and construction cones, James rolled his eyes, _messy bastards_.

"Careful darlin'. Look out fer those cha--" He began but before she could comprehend what he was saying, she was halfway to the pavement.

"Where do you think you're going, Blondie?" He asked quickly as he swiftly reached out his hand and grabbed hers just in time.

"Don't you worry. I got you." He assured her as he hauled her up to her feet, and as he did so, they simultaneously saw a flash of them together--in another life.

_Don't you leave me!_

_I love you._

_No, you don't let go!_

_I love you, James._

_Don't let go._

_I love you so much._

_No! No, don't let go!_

"Son of a bitch..." Juliet murmured as she snapped back to reality, looking upwards so that her eyes met his. She paused for only a moment before asking softly, "Do you...do you really think we know one another from some other life?"

He nodded slowly, "Ain't got no other way to 'splain it. But whadda _you _think?"

"I don't know..." She began, bringing her hand to her lips, "But I _do _know that there's no way what I just saw was fake. I know I was scared to death and I know that falling was...it was real." She admitted softly as her eyes met his, "And I know I love you."

"I love you back." He answered instinctively, causing them both to grin.

"James." She said slowly after a beat, "Why don't we go back to my apartment?"

"You got it, Blondie.


End file.
